One nation With power far over the horizon, 'wets' see no reason to rock the boat

In one popular reading of the history of Tory successes, the party’s last three election-winning prime ministers - John Major, David Cameron and Boris Johnson - all swept into Downing Street on unifying one-nation platforms.

- Eleni Courea Political correspondent

But for many people, this year's Tory conference, marked by its hardening rhetoric on asylum seekers and growing overtures to Nigel Farage's brand of politics, feels a far cry from those principles.

Kemi Badenoch kicked off the gathering in Manchester with a pledge to withdraw the UK from the European convention on human rights, a move that would have been controversial inside the party just a few years ago but now commands the support of the vast majority of Conservative MPs.

The Tory leader has also committed to repealing the Climate Change Act, shattering the mainstream political consensus on climate breakdown.

It is no surprise then that insiders are asking whether Badenoch’s leadership - and the direction the party is taking under the influence of rightwingers such as Robert Jenrick - sounds the death knell for one-nation conservatism.

Those who believe it does point out that the One Nation parliamentary caucus has been quietly dissolved. One MP recalls an attempt to “reinvigorate” the group after the election that went nowhere. At a gathering held shortly after Labour won power, MPs decided not to meet again.